The present disclosure relates to consumable cartridges used in image forming apparatuses, and more specifically to a remanufactured cartridge that has been modified to permit testing of the cartridge after the remanufacturing without disturbing a toner seal configuration that reduces leakage of toner from the cartridge during shipping.
Imaging cartridges, and particularly toner cartridges, are frequently provided with toner seals that cover a toner opening provided in the toner hopper through which toner is dispensed during operation of the cartridge. These seals are removable either manually by a user or by a mechanism included in the toner cartridge or the image forming apparatus into which it is installed just prior to the toner cartridge being used for a printing operation. The primary function of the seal is to prevent toner from leaking out of the toner opening of the cartridge during transportation and shipping of the toner cartridge.
Toner cartridge remanufacturers often perform a post test of the remanufactured cartridges after they have gone through the remanufacturing process but before they are packaged for sale to the end user. The post test is intended to reveal any issues that may have arisen during the remanufacturing process. If the post test reveals a printing defect the cartridge can be removed from the production line and the issue investigated. Although the specific technique may vary depending on the configuration of a specific cartridge, to conduct a post test remanufacturers will often insert a relatively small test charge of toner into the space between the developer roller and the “clean” side of the toner seal. In a typical post test the toner seal remains intact and print tests are conducted using the test charge of toner which makes its way through the cartridge in the same manner as toner from the hopper would if the toner seal was not present. When the post test is complete, remaining test charge toner may be vacuumed or blown from the cartridge before packaging.
Toner cartridges such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,146,503 (the '503 patent) include a rotatable member within the toner hopper that removes an internal toner seal. Before the cartridge is inserted into a printer, the internal toner seal prevents toner from leaking out of a toner accommodating area, which in the case of the '503 patent is in the form of a flexible container. When the cartridge is inserted into the printer, driving rotatable force from the printer is transmitted to the cartridge through a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism operates a gear assembly in the cartridge which in turn rotates the rotatable member. When the rotatable member rotates it pulls the internal toner seal away from the toner accommodating area, thereby allowing toner to flow through the cartridge toward the developer roller. Because the internal toner seal is automatically removed when the cartridge is inserted into the printer, post testing a cartridge that is remanufactured back to its original configuration would cause the internal toner seal to be removed, resulting in undesirable leaking of toner from the cartridge during packaging and shipment.